17 October 2024 , 20:56
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reported to have bought a new holiday home in Europe - meaning they would now have a home on both sides of the Atlantic again
Harry and Meghan have reportedly bought a stunning new holiday home in Europe - but it’s not back in Britain.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex finally vacated Frogmore Cottage last year following a request from King Charles III, leaving them entirely US-based and without a place of their own on this side of the Atlantic. They had been gifted the property on the Windsor Estate by the late Queen shortly after they got married in 2018 and moved in the following year. They then lived there until announcing their decision to step down from the Royal Family in 2020, and handed back the keys in 2023.
Now, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to have splashed out on a new property in Portugal, according to the MailOnline. It is thought buying a home in Portugal will allow the Sussexes to get their hands on a ’Golden Visa’, giving them visa-free access to the European Union’s Schengen area. The Mirror approached Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s representatives for comment.
Meghan and Harry spent £2.4million of taxpayers’ money on renovations to Frogmore Cottage before they left, according to official royal accounts. Renovations included the removal of a chimney, re-finishing the roof and adding new staircases. The Sussex couple also had new fireplaces put in and a new ’floating’ wooden floor installed in the main kitchen area, in order to protect the old flooring underneath.
The Sovereign Grant, which pays for salaries of staff, upkeep of palaces and official royal duties, was used for the renovations, though Harry and Meghan paid privately for all fittings, fixtures and furnishings. After using the £2.4m, Harry and Meghan paid back the costs in September 2020, and Harry’s spokesman later confirmed he had paid the bill in full with his contribution to the grant.
Since leaving Britain in 2020, the couple have settled into a $30million (£23.6million) mansion in Montecito, California, with their young children Princess Lilibet, five, and Prince Archie, three. Their celebrity neighbours include Ellen DeGeneres, Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry.